Marigold
by Tie-grr
Summary: Somone is out to kill Mac. Will they succeed? SMacked of course
1. Chapter 1

"So when do we get him, Marigold?" A small man rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"In time." A voice boomed from one corner of the darkened room. A tall figure stood in the corner, facing the wall. His back was illuminated by a single lightbulb in the centre of the room. He turned his head to the side and looked at the smaller man. The smaller man was only about 5'2 in height and was very round. He wore a bowler hat, underneath which was a tuft of greying hair. He wore a uniform from a fast food restaurant under a beige trench coat. "Murdering a detective takes planning and patience, Lou."

"Why this Taylor guy again?" Lou removed his hat and scratched his balding head.

"Because!" Marigold slammed his fists on the table in front of him and his face was lit up. Dark brown eyes glared at Lou. "I have my reasons."

"Ok." Lou cocked his head in confusion.

"Just go and do what I said."

"Yes Marigold." Lou scurried out of the room and shut the door tight behind him. Marigold stood upright and ran his hands through his dark blonde hair.

"Because, my friend. He took the life of one I love, so I'm going to take his." He pulled the chord hanging from the lightbulb and he was plunged into complete darkness.

"Because, because. Stupid Marigold, thinks he can tell me what to do. I don't even know what the guy looks like." Lou muttered as he walked down the sidewalk. He pulled a piece of paper out of his left pocket. An address was scribbled onto it. "I'll show him."

"Hey!" Lou rammed into a man wearing a long coat. He didn't even look up, but kept walking and muttering.

"Apology accepted." Mac stated sarcastically and continued on his way, unaware of the man's future connection to him.

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Luke Marigold had a great life, that was up until five years ago when his little brother, Marc, got involved with the wrong crowd. Marc started to shoplift and do drugs. Before long, he was beating on his brothers door for money for a fix. Reluctantly, Luke gave him the money each time. Luke was a top lawyer and was working on an assault case when his brother's name popped up. He spent that whole night in his office searching for files with any reference to his brother. By morning, he had found Marc's name on two assault charges and three breaking and entering. A couple of days later ,Luke went ot the old apartment building that his brother lived in, only, he couldn't get in. Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the building.

"What happened?" Luke asked the woman beside him in the crowd.

"I heard on that there radio that this is another one o' them shootin's." The woman smelt faintly of vodka.

"Apparently, the police arrived to search the area for drugs and these three kids started shooting." A younger man on a bicycle told him.

"Was anyone injured?" Luke was worried. He knew his brither was stupid, but was he that stupid?

"Yeah. Two of the kids were shot down by Detective...Mac Taylor I think. One is dead, the other is critical." The young man cycled away. Luke pushed through the crowd and ducked under the tape.

"Oi. You can't do that." The officer grabbed him by the arm and pushed him back under the tape again.

"Fine then. Please tell me who was killed." Luke was hoping that another boy was killed, but deep down, he knew the name would be...

"Marc Marigold." Luke fell to his knees. He knelt for a few minutes and then hauled himself up. He returned to his empty apartment and collapsed onto the large couch. He sighed and picked up the phone.

"Mum...? It's Luke, I have some bad news."

The next few weeks were a fast blur which only slowed down when it came to the day of the funeral. Friends and Family stood around the plot as the coffin was lowered into the ground. One by one, the mourners left, leaving only Luke and his Mum. They stood looking at the headstone. A woman walked up behind them.

"Come on Martha." The woman led the sobbing woman away. Luke stood alone once more. A lone tear rolled down his face as he knelt infront of the headstone. He traced his fingers over the letters as he read aloud.

"Marc Daniel Marigold, beloved son and brother. June 1983- April 2002."

From that day on, life took a turn for the worse. Luke was so grief stricken that he lost his job and apartment. He could only afford a shabby apartment which smelt of old cat pee. He managed to get a job at a local fast food restaurant, which definetly failed in comparison to his old job. If he wasn't working, he would sit at home, reading the newspaper. One day he read an article about a crime downtown and saw a picture of a detective Mac Taylor. The name was a painful reminder of his brother. From that day he vowed revenge on the man who had killed his brother and, in effect, destroyed his life. Luke spent all of his free time gathering pictures and information on his target. The day of his 30th birthday came and went and he continued to collect information. One day when Luke was sitting in his armchair, looking out of the window he noticed a familiar face. Mac was entering a diner with a curly-haired woman. Luke grabbed the camera off the camera beside him and snapped a few pictures. He sat waiting for almost an hour until they walked out again. He took a few more pictures and watched as the woman answered her phone. She hung up the phone, gave Mac a peck on the cheek and ran off.

Luke started to take pictures of Mac Taylor and stalked him. He developed the pictures at his apartment and learned about Mac's life. By now the date was March 2007. Luke had learned all about the detective, his friends, where he lived and most importantly, his daily routines.

"The time has come." Luke called upon his colleague, Lou, for help with his "idea". Lou agreed, after all, Luke Marigold could be very intimidating. So began the hunt on Mac Taylor's life.

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Lou walked back into the old aparment, carrying a paper bag. He knocked on the door.

"Marigold? it's me." The door opened and Lou walked into the darkness. The door closed and Lou turned to face Luke. "Marigold, we need to talk."

"Did you get the stuff?"

"Yes, but.." Lou backed off as Luke walked towards him. Luke snatched the bag away from him. "I want to know why you won't let me do anything."

"Are you wondering why I won't let you go and kill him?" Lou nodded his head. Luke sat at the table and reached into the bag. "Fine then, here."

Luke placed some items on the table. Lou walked forward to see them in the dim light. There was a bottle of Arsenic, a gun, a knife and a photo of Mac. "Here."

"What are these for?" Lou looked at the photo.

"I am giving you 2 weeks to try and kill him with these objects and when you fail, you will stick to my plan." Luke leant back in his chair.

"And if I succeed?"

"You run from the law?"

Lou thought about it. "Fine." The two men shook hands and Lou placed the items back in the bag. He walked to the door and opened it.

"Two weeks." Luke reminded him.

"I know Marigold."

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_I hope you like this first chapter. I am halfway through the second one so look out for it._

_Please review._


	2. Chapter 2

_Now for my favourite part of the story, the SMacked goodness! Enjoy!_

_------------------------------------------------_

The problem with Lou Travis was that he was too hasty and impatient. When he was a kid, every year around his birthday, he searched his house from top to bottom searching for his presents. When he found them, he would tear them open. Typical kid no? All his life he had incidents where his impatience had gotten him into trouble. When he was 30, his boss called evryone into his office to announce who was being promoted. But, the phone rang and their boss walked out of the room, leaving the envelope containing the name of person being promoted. Lou couldn't wait so he ripped open the envelope and found his name written on the paper. When his boss came back and saw the mess, he demoted Lou. Even though it had gotten him into trouble, Lou's impatience also meant that if he was asked to do something, he would do it straight away. Such as killing someone.

As Lou sat in his car, watching Mac's apartment, He looked at the gun. Lou could see Mac walking up to the door. Lou opened his car window, took aim and... bang.

"What the hell?" Mac turned around to see a driver get out of his car and yell at the man he crashed into.

Lou was pissed. He had the perfect shot and then some idiot rammed him from behind. The idiot walked up to his window.

"Why the hell are you parked in the middle of the street?" The man yelled.

"I'm not!"

"You are." The man pointed to the road below him.

"Oh, sorry. Here." Lou threw two hundred dollars at the man and drove away. The man picked up the money and managed to start his car. Mac watched the man drive away and noticed a chip in the wall. He followed the direction of the chip and found a bullet inside an empty trash can. He pulled out a tissue from his pocket and picked up the round.

"Hmm." The bullet was still hot. He took out his phone and told Don about what had happened.

"So someone tried to shoot at you?"

"I think so but I'm not sure. Just send one of my guys out here, I'm off the clock." Mac hung up his phone and walked inside. He needed a shower.

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Mac was just getting out of the shower when he heard the doorbell. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to the door. He opened the door.

"Hey." Stella greeted him.

"Hi, come in." Stella walked in and sat down on a chair. "So what's up?"

Stella didn't answer. She was too busy watching a drip of water roll down his chest. She looked a his wet hair and was enjoying the fact that he was only wearing only a towel around his waist. "Stella?"

"Hmm?" She snapped out of her trance. "Oh yeah. Don told me about what happened. I guess its safe to say you're alright."

"Yeah. Stel, were you staring?" He cocked his head to one side.

"No...maybe." He smiled to himself.

"Help yourself to a drink while I go and get dressed." He disappeared into his bedroom. Stella's cheeks were still red form being caught out. She got a bottle of water fro the fridge and sat down again. Mac returned from his room wearing a pair of slacks. _Still no better._ Stella thought.

"So?" He continued to dry himself.

"Nothing really. Just came wanted to see if you were alright." She averted her gaze.

"Well seeing as your here, do want to order chinese and watch a movie?" He pulled a t-shirt over his head.

"Sure." She looked at the clock. It was 8:30pm.

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There were a few half full cartons of chinese on the counter and the tv was still on. Apart from the light coming off the tv, the apartment was dark. In front of the tv was a couch with twp dark figures on it. Mac and Stella were both asleep. Stella was curled up at one end while Mac had his feet up on the coffee table. With a quiet grunt he turned on his side. A sudden ringing awoke him. He scrambled for his phone and tried to read the time.

"Danny, it's 2:30am. What do you want?" He whispered into the phone.

"I guess you were asleep but why are you whispering?"

"I don't want to wake Stella, now what do you want?" Mac checked that his best friend was still sleeping.

"Ok well your bullet got a hit in...why is Stella asleep at your place?" Danny asked. He was very interested in why his colleague was asleep at his boss' apartment.

"We were watching a movie. Now what about the bullet?" Mac got up and walked into his kitchen.

"It got a hit in IBIS. It is from a gun that was used by a kid called Marc Marigold. You uh..." Danny hesitated.

"I shot him I remember." Mac leaned over the counter to watch Stella. "That gun was never found?"

"Yea. The kid said he ditched it with his brother. When they searched the brother's apartment they found nothing. Maybe the brother does have it and a grudge with it."

"Maybe. Look Danny, I need sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He hung up and returned to the couch. He scooped Stella up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. He pulled back the covers and lay her down. He let down her hair, covered her up and walked back to the couch. He turned off the tv and lay down. Not long after he fell asleep.

Stella turned on her side and opened her eyes. The clock's light blinded her for a second. It flashed 6am. She rolled back onto her back and realised that she was still dressed. Also she wasn't in her bedroom but Mac's. She sighed and pulled herself out of the bed. She wandered into the living room and stopped at the doorway. Mac was wrestling with the blanket that lay across him. He eventually untangled himself and tried to sleep again.

"Mac?" She continued towards him.

"Hmmm?" He grunted.

"If you're uncomfortable come and sleep in the bed." She crouched in front of him. "I don't bite."

"Are you sure?" He turned to face her.

"Yea come on." She led him by the hand to his bedroom. Stella climbed back into bed and looked at Mac. He had stopped at the window. "What's wrong?"

"Ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" He looked out the window, into the darkness.

"Yea why?" She sat up and looked at him.

"...nothing. It doesn't matter." He rounded the bed and lay down beside her.

"Lets get some sleep." The two of them fell asleep almost instantly.

"Perfect." Luke placed the binoculars back in his rucksack and climbed down off the roof. Luke decided that she would be perfect person to take away from Mac. Just like Marc was taken away from him. "Lou will be back sooner than he thinks."

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_Hope you liked the SMacked goodness. Hope to update soon._


	3. Chapter 3

Mac's digital clock flashed 9:35. Stella stirred under Mac's arm. She turned over and snuggled into his chest. He pulled his arms around her and let out a loud snore. The shrill beeping of his cellphone woke him up.

"What do you want?" He whispered into the phone.

"Good morning to you too." Don greeted.

"It's my day off."

"I know. I was just wondering if you're alright. I heard about yesterday."

"I'm fine. Now, goodbye Don." Mac hung up and fell asleep again. Not even one minute later, the phone rang again.

"For christ's sake." He picked up the phone again. "What?"

"Geez Mac. Don't bite my head off." Danny said. "I was wondering if you knew where Stella was?"

"Ummm." Mac looked at Stella who was sleeping on his arm and resting her head on his chest. "No. Why?"

"Nothing really. She isn't answering her phone and Lindsay was looking for her."

"She has the day off aswell doesn't she?" Mac asked.

"Yeah. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."Danny hung up and Mac replaced his phone on the table.

"Who was that?" Stella mumbled. Mac wrapped his arm around her and gave her a hug.

"Danny." She didn't even open her eyes.

"What did he want? We both have the day off."

"Lindsay is looking for you." He looked over at the clock.

"Oh well." She yawned and opened her eyes. "This is rather cosy isn't it?"

He smiled. "Yes it is. Time to get up though." She complained as he got up. "Come on."

"No." She buried her head in the pillow.

"Yes." He threw the available pillow at her. "You have a shower and I'll cook breakfast."

"Maaaaaac." She whined. His laugh was cut off by the pillow that collided with his face. "Gotcha!"

"Thanks Stel." He walked out of the room. She laughed and walked into his en-suite.

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Lou sat in his dingy apartment. Yesterday's attempt had failed. He had decided that the reason for his failure was his impatience.

"I must be more patient, calculated." He described aloud to the empty room. He sat at the small table in the corner and looked in the paper bag. He removed the items it contained. He looked at the bottle of Arsenic. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Lou placed the bottle on the table again and picked up the photograph. He looked it over and noticed something written on the back._ Days off: March 29th, April 2nd, April 21st..._ Lou read through the dates and turned to look at his calendar. The date was March 29th.

"I have 3 more days untill his next day off. Perfect." Lou let out an evil cackle that echoed around the apartment. "I'll show Marigold what I'm capable of."

He started to pace around the apartment scribbling notes into an old notebook. His plan was taking shape.

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Luke fixed his tie. He rounded the corner and entered the building. He walked up to the front desk. The secretary pointed at the elevator and told him where to go. He rode the elevator up and stepped onto the floor. Lab technicians were scattered all over the place. He tapped the nearest one on the shoulder.

"Can you tell me where Mac Taylor's office is please?" He asked politely. The other man pointed in the direction of a large room with glass walls. Luke thanked the man and walked towards the room. He glanced sideways and entered the room. He closed all the blinds and started to look through the file cabinets. He was looking for anything with any reference to this woman he saw the night before. His turned to face the desk and his gaze settled on the backs of some picture frames. He walked around the desk and took up one of the frames. It was a picture of Mac and a woman. He had his arms around her. Not recognizing the woman, Luke tossed the picture of Claire to the floor.

He picked up the second photo and saw a group of six people including Mac and Stella. They all had badges at their waists so he figured they were all colleagues. Then he looked at the final photo. It was a picture of Mac and Stella taken many years ago at Coney Island. She was spreading cotton candy on his nose and laughing hysterically. Luke grinned and removed the back of the frame. He took out the photograph and read the writing on the back, _Stella Bonasera and I. June 23rd._ Luke grinned again, he finally knew her name.

"This is going to be fun." He said aloud. Hearing a crash outside, Luke dashed out of the office. He rushed right past Danny who was picking up the box he dropped. He was standing only a couple of metres from the door of Mac's office when Lindsay knocked him. Danny felt a rush of air behind him and watched as the man in a suit got in the elevator. He looked back at Mac's office.

"Mac has the day off right?" He asked Lindsay.

"Yea. Why?" She placed the last of the papers into the box.

"Some guy just came running out of his office." Danny stood up straight. He entered Mac's office and noticed the closed blinds and rifled cabinets.

"Look." Lindsay pointed beside the desk. Danny walked over to the spot she was pointing at and picked up the smashed picture.

"Mac and Claire." He said. He looked at the desk and noticed that the group photo was knocked over and the last frame was empty.

"I don't like this." Lindsay said. "What was the last picture of?"

"Mac and Stel"

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Mac had just poured the coffee when the phone rang for the third time that morning. He sighed and picked it up.

"Whoever you are, you are going to meet the business end of my gun."

"Morning again." Danny laughed.

"Danny, what do you want this time?" Mac retrieved the toast from the toaster.

"I thought you might want to know that someone was in your office earlier." Mac stopped buttering the toast. "What?"

"Someone was looking through your things. He took the picture of you and Stella. Pair that with the fact you were shot at yesterday..."

"I should be careful." Mac finished. "Thanks for telling me Danny. I'll be in later. Bye."

"Who was it this time?" Stella walked out from the bedroom wearing his shirt and her shorts.

"Danny. Someone was in my office earlier, they took the picture of you and me that I keep on my desk." Mac handed her a coffee and some toast.

"You keep a picture of us on your desk?"

"Yea. I also have one of Claire and of the whole group of us last year." He smiled. "Danny is warning me to be careful."

"I think you should be." She mumbled.

"Ok then. But now, we enjoy our day off." He sat opposite her and took the jam from her. "You may look good in my shirt but if you get jam on it you're dead."

"Oops."


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't believe you just did that." Mac stood leaning against the washing machine, the dirty shirt washing inside.

"It was an accident and I've said I'm sorry like 10 times already." Stella was standing in front of him. "Still." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Awww. You're so cute when your sulking." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the room. "I'd better get going."

"Ok."Mac followed her into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks. Stella was standing with her back to him in her bra and panties. He couldn't turn away.

"Do you mind?" Stella asked noting his expression. He apologised and turned out of the room. He returned when she had finished getting changed.

"Do you want me to drop you home?" Mac asked as he searched for his keys. "Yes please. What's wrong?"

"I can't find my keys." Mac continued to search. "Here they are." Stella shook the keys infront of his face. He took the keys from her and they walked out of the apartment.

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Luke sat at the computer surrounded by newspaper clippings and the occasional photograph of Mac and his team. Luke opened the online search engine and typed in "Detective Mac Taylor." One of the results was a picture of Mac and a woman he recognized. Luke opened the link and read the article aloud to the empty room. "Detectives Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera work the crime scene of the murder of a 17 year old boy who's name has not been released." The article was dated 3 days ago. Luke picked up the phonebook and scanned down the names. "I've found you Stella." He said, his finger at her address. Luke smiled at his discovery. There was more to plan before Lou came back having failed.

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Mac exited the elevator and walked up to his office. There was a single yellow line of crime scene tape across the door. He noticed Danny behind the desk inside.

"What's going on Danny?"Mac stood at the doorway.

"Hey Mac. Like I said on the phone, someone broke into your office and took a picture of you and Stella. He was definetly looking for something." Danny pointed to the filing cabinets.

"Anything missing?"

"From what I can tell, nothing other than the picture." Danny removed his gloves and joined Mac at the doorway. "I've got some prints off the back of the photo frame. You'll need a new frame for one of your photos." Danny showed him the smashed frame.

"Give me the photo back when your done." He smiled at his friend. "Did anyone get a look at the man?"

"Not really. A tech gave him directions to your office, he's with a sketch artist now. Lindsay's looking at our security tapes now. So far we know that he was dressed in a grey suit with blonde hair and is about 6 ft 2." Danny walked under the tape and said " I'm going to check on the prints. Lindsay is down the hall."

"Thanks Danny." Mac walked down the hall and saw Lindsay running through some surveillance tape. "Hey Lindsay."

"Hey Mac. You here about the break in of your office?" She never took her eyes off the screen.

"Yea, what have you found?" He took a seat beside her.

"I've found your guy. Here he is entering the building. He keeps his head down and doesn't look at the camera. I found him again outside the elevator and this time we see his face." Lindsay zoomed in and they saw Luke's face. "Do you recognise him?"

"His face rings a bell. I can't place it though." Mac picked up the printout of Luke and headed to the print lab. "Thanks Lindsay."

Mac walked down the hallway again and met Danny in the print lab. "Did you get a match?"

"Yea to a Luke Marigold." Danny showed Mac the screen. "He used to be a lawyer."

"Marigold. I knew I recognised him from somewhere. He was the brother of the kid whose gun was used to shoot at me." Mac looked at the face in front of him.

"That's right. I think it's safe to say he has a grudge against you."

"Does he have an alibi for yesterday?"

"I'll get Flack to look into it. Meanwhile you should enjoy the rest of your day off." Danny pointed to the door.

"I'm not sure."

"Mac, get out." Danny shoved him in the back and pushed him towards the elevator. "Go home."

"Fine." Mac sighed and stepped into the elevator. "I'll go home."

"Good idea." Came a voice after the doors closed. "Your gift will be waiting."

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Mac walked up to his apartment door and noticed a box left infront of it. He picked it up and carried it inside, closing the door behind him. Mac set the box on the table and listened to the voicemessage left on the machine.

"Hey Mac, it's Stel. I wanted you to know that I got home safe and have sent you a little present. I'll be around in a few hours. See you then." Mac smiled and picked up the box.

"Little present eh?" He opened the box and took out a bottle of juice and a bottle of wine. He removed the wine and placed it in the fridge saving it for later. He took out the plastic bottle and poured himself a glass. He sat at his computer and took a sip of drink. He checked his e-mail and continued with his day off, enjoying the juice.

3 hours later Stella knocked on Mac's door. "Mac you home?"

She looked down and saw the bottle of wine that had been delivered from her. She knocked again, recieving no answer, she used her key to unlock the door. "Mac? You here?" She walked in and noticed an opened bottle of orange juice on the side. She walked into the bedroom and noticed something on the floor.

"Mac!" She rushed to his side and pulled out her cell phone. "This is Detective Bonasera I need an ambulance right away at Detective Mac Taylor's residence." She checked for a pulse.

"Paramedics are on there way." The operator said and Stella hung up.

"Come on Mac. Stay with me."

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_I realise I copied the juice bottle thing from CSI Miami (dead woman walking). Enjoy and look out for the next chap._

_Doggie._


	5. Chapter 5

_First of all, I don't know how much Arsenic is lethal and how quickly people recover after attempted poisonings but this is a story so i'm going to make it up! _

_Secondly, enjoy._

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Paramedics arrived in minutes and rushed Mac to the hospital. Stella went with them while Danny checked over the apartment just in case. Stella stood outside Mac's room waiting for the doctor to leave so she could talk to him. She had already been there for hours. After a few minutes the doctor came out of the room.

"How is he?" She asked.

"Are you family?" The doctor asked.

"No, I'm his partner and I found him." She explained.

"You must be Detective Bonasera. Well he's lucky that you found him in time. We are treating him for arsenic poisoning."

"Arsenic?"

"Yes. He has ingested it in something. Anymore and he would most likely have died. You don't know how lucky he is." The doctor handed the blood work to Stella.

"Can I see him?"

"I don't see why not." The doctor's pager went off. "Excuse me."

After the doctor had left Stella read the report. She took out her cell and dialled Danny's number.

"Messer."

"Danny it's Stella. Mac was poisoned."

"Poisoned? By what?" Danny exited Mac's apartment and stood in the hallway.

"Arsenic. I have his blood work here. It's a miracle he's alive judging from the levels in his blood." She read off the report.

"What am I looking for?"

"Any food or drink that is opened. Maybe even left out on the counter. I think Isaw some sandwiches and a bottle of juice on the counter when I found him." Stella recalled.

"Yea. I'll test them and anything else. I'll get back to you."

"Thanks Danny."

"And Stel?" Danny stopped her. "Does this mean someone really wants Mac dead."

"You bet. Two attempts. He's a lucky man. I'll talk to you later Danny." She hung up the phone and entered the room. Mac was lying on the bed, pale but awake. He smiled weakly when he saw her.

"What happened?" He whispered.

"You were poisoned." She pulled the chair up beside the bed and held his hand. "Arsenic."

"I'd better be more careful." He joked.

"Yea. But right now, you better get some sleep. It's almost 2am." She smiled and watched him fall asleep. "You'll be fine." She whispered.

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Danny paced impatiently around the office. He was waiting for the results on all the drinks in the apartment. Seconds passed and he got more impatient. He was about to hit something when Adam walked in.

"What's wrong?" The tech asked.

"Waiting for the results from Mac's apartment."

"I heard about that. Is he alright?" Adam sat in the chair.

"Yea, Stella's with him now. We're all on edge. I've pulled a double and so has Lindsay. Someone's out to get Mac." Danny explained.

"I should think so with two attempts on his life." Adam jumped as Danny leaped for the piece of paper with the results. "What did you get?"

"Arsenic in the juice from the counter and in the bottle of wine from the fridge." Danny read. He flipped open his phone and called Stella.

Mac was woken by Stella's cell phone ringing. He tried to move his arm but found he couldn't. He looked down and saw that Stella was sleeping on it, her hand in his. He used his other had to touch her shoulder.

"Stel, your cell." She lifted her head and looked at him.

"Crap." She opened it. "Bonasera."

"Hey it's Danny. I got results from the apartment."

"How was he poisoned?" Stella looked at Mac as she listened.

"I found Arsenic in the juice from the counter and in the wine bottle from the fridge. The wine was unopened."

"What did he say?" Mac asked.

"He said you were poisoned by the juice on the counter."

"I only had one glass." He said. "Wait a minute, I thought that was your gift."

"No my gift was wine but not the one in your fridge." She talked into the phone, "Check the bottle for prints Danny."

"I will. Tell Mac we're all glad he's alright."

"Sure. Bye." Stella replaced her phone at her hip and held Mac's hand again. "Danny says that everyone is glad you are alive."

"I should hope so." He smiled. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Saving my life." He looked her in the eye.

"I didn't save your life. I just showed up at the right place at the right time." She looked away from his eyes.

"That's good enough for me." He smiled at her.

"Where are you going?" Adam asked Danny when he had finished talking to Stella.

"I'm off to print some bottles. See you later." Danny rushed out of the room.

"See ya." Adam turned to his work.

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Lou sat in his car outside the restaurant he worked at. He tossed the empty bottle between his hands and smiled, Luke would be proud of him. Lou put the bottle on the seat and started the car. Halfway to Luke's apartment, Lou turned on the radio and listened to the news.

"And in other news, a detective from the crime lab was poisoned this afternoon. We have news that hes is stable and getting better. Now for the weather." Lou slammed his fists on the steering wheel and yelled loudly at the radio. He slammed on the barkes and turned around. There would be no celebrations tonight.

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Danny stared at the screen in front of him. He was so focused that he didn't hear Lindsay walk in.

"Hey Danny." She got no reply. "Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"What have you got there?" She peered over his shoulder.

"We didn't find a match fro the fingerprint on the bottle in Mac's apartment." He sighed.

"How many seta were there?" Lindsay asked.

"Two. One was Mac's and one was unknown." Danny took out his phone and called Stella yet again.

"Danny Messer are you stalking me?" Stella answered her phone.

"Very funny Stel. I couldn't get a match on the other set of prints."

"Ok. I'll tell Mac. Thanks. I'll call you later. Oh, and Danny. If you keep calling me I'll have to call the police." She took the phone away from her ear and hung up.

Mac was looking at her from his bed. "Did Danny get anything?"

"No, the only set of prints he matched were yours." She walked over to the door. "I'll ask the doctor if you can leave."

Mac watched as his best friend walked over to the reception and fill out the necessary forms. He smiled at the memories of the night before, how he wished he had the courage to make a move. He drifted off into a daydream as Stella walked back in. She placed his clothes on the end of the bed and closed the door.

"Get dressed Mac." She looked at him.

"Not with you standing there." He sounded like a young boy whinging at his mother. She turned around and he slowly stood up. He turned his back to her and pulled on his boxers and pants. He was doing up the belt when Stella turned around. He could feel her eyes watching him from behind.

"What are you doing?" He asked turning to face her.

"Getting revenge. You watched me change so I'm going to watch you change." She smiled at him.

"Not fair." He complained. "Stel!" He yelled when he saw her eyes trail down his body.

"Fine." She turned around again, hiding the smile forming on her face.

"I'm done." He said a few seconds later.

"See, was that so bad?" She grinned.

"Shut up. Where are we going?"

"My apartment. Yours is still taped off. I have some of your things in my car." She followed him out of the hospital. "You can go back to work tomorrow."

"Thanks." He opened the car door for her.

"Still a gentleman even after you've been poisoned." She drove them back to her apartment as the sun rose again. When they got to the apartment, Stella convinced Mac to sleep in the bed. She settled on the couch with a blanket. The clock flashed 9:04 am.

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_Did you really think I'd kill Mac? Well, you never know. Maybe I will. _

_Look out for the next chap._

_Doggie_


	6. Chapter 6

At around midday, Mac was woken by a crash in the kitchen. He threw back the covers and wandered into the kitchen. He let out a laugh when he saw the cause of the sound. Stella was standing over a smashed plate, cursing herself quietly. There was an odd smell emanating from a pile of blackened food.

"I didn't know you could cook." He laughed, causing her to spin around.

"Obviously I can't," She threw the black pile into the trash. "Why are you up?"

"You woke me." Mac pointed to the broken shards at Stella's feet.

"Sorry."

"Let me." He took over the cooking while Stella cleaned up the mess she had made. After 10 minutes, they sat down to their eggs and bacon.

"Danny called earlier," Stella told him. "He'll be coming over in about half an hour with Lindsay." He nodded, his mouth full.

They were engrossed in a conversation about work when the doorbell rang. Stella answered it while Mac went to change. When he returned to the sitting room, three CSIs sat waiting for him.

"Good to see your not dead!" Danny laughed, earning himself a smack from Lindsay. "Why do you always do that?"

"I only do it when you insist on making fun of serious situations."

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Kids!" Mac called over their racket. "Did you come here to talk or argue?"

"Sorry _Dad_." Danny handed him a file. "We didn't find any prints or anything. He looked through your files, took a photo and ran."

"It is now obvious that someone is out to kill you Mac and now that he has taken a picture of Stella.." Lindsay turned to her colleague.

"I should also be careful." Stella finished. "I know."

The shrill beeping of Danny's pager filled the room. "Sorry guys, we gotta go. DB in central park." They said their goodbyes and left.

"Now what?" Mac asked.

"I need groceries so we're going shopping."

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Mac sighed as Stella dragged him around the store. She dropped a few things in the basket before he sighed again.

"Mac, will you shut up?"

"Sorry. I'm just bored. You have changed your mind about almost everything. I've gone shopping with you before and you don't normally take this long."

"Oh well." She shrugged. When they finally left the store, Mac yelled "whoop" and hugged the car.

"Hallelujah." He cried, smirking at her all the while.

"Very funny Mac. Help me get this in the car and then we can go for a walk through the other stores." Mac did as he was told and they started to walk through the mall. Stella stopped outside the pet store.

"What?" He asked, standing at her side.

"That dog," she pointed to a mutt with red and brown patches. "He's so cute."

"And?"

"I've always wanted a dog, come on." She dragged him inside and she asked the clerk about the dog.

"His name is Razzle. He has been neutered and has a lovely personality." The clerk explained as she let him out. The young dog walked up to Stella, sniffing her carefully. When he was sure that she was friendly, he sat at her feet waiting to be stroked. "I guess he likes you."

"I guess." Stella laughed when Mac tried to pet Razzle who had growled at him. Mac decided to try a different approach and held out his hand. The dog sniffed it before giving him a lick.

"I suppose we should take him." Mac removed his wallet from his back pocket and paid for the dog.

"I wouldn't put that away yet." Stella told him.

"Why not?"

"I have nothing to take care of him with." She smiled at him. They walked around the shop and gathered all they needed. When all the shopping, and Razzle, were packed into the car they set off to Stella's apartment.

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Luke watched as Mac and Stella entered the apartment with _all_ of their purchases.

"A dog eh?" He smiled. "Makes my job kind of harder but, what's like without a little work."

He watched as the pair raced around the kitchen trying to remove a plastic wrapper from the dog. He looked away when his phone rang. The screen flashed: _Lou._ He sighed before answering.

"Yes?"

"Marigold? It's Lou."

"I know!" He snapped. "What do you want?"

" I was just wondering what to do. I only have one more attempt left and it is the knife."

"And?" He massaged his temples in frustration. _Could this man not do anything right?_

"Well. I didn't know whether to stab him at night or.."

"Listen Lou! I gave you three oppurtunities with good weapons and so far you have failed twice! If you don't kill him this time, you better be good when you come back to me. I might just take out my anger on you! Just kill him!" Marigold hung up the phone. he knew full well that Lou would never succeed. He was alos pretty sure that lou would get caught and talk as soon as he was.

"Then we'll have to stop that then won't we?" His laughter rang out through the evening.

---------------------------

_Will Mac die next chap? Maybe, maybe not._

_Sorry for the really short chapter._

_Doggie_


End file.
